If you’re suffering from recurring pain or any other physical limitation, choosing the best form of treatment can be overwhelming. Even experts often don’t agree on whichever option is better.
However, if you narrow down your choices to surgery or physical therapy, it’s better to go for physiotherapy.
But why is physical therapy better than surgery? Read on to find out.
Why Physical Therapy Is Better Than Surgery
The benefits of physical therapy are numerous, and it’s most preferred by patients who don’t want to undergo surgery.
If you find yourself in a dilemma between PT and surgery, the following reasons show why physical therapy is always better.
1. It Enhances Your Performance
If you’re an athlete or sports person, it goes without saying that you work your muscles more than other people and expend a higher level of energy. At the same time, this increases the risk of pulling your muscles, which is where physiotherapy comes in.
Physical therapy comes in handy in relieving muscle pain. In addition, it helps identify imbalances and weaknesses throughout your body, helping your therapist suggest viable solutions.
The suggested exercises help you improve your flexibility and strengthen your muscles, ultimately enhancing your performance in whichever sporting activity you participate in. Additionally, physiotherapy helps you prevent more fractures and injuries.
Unlike surgery, where you have to avoid the activities altogether for a while post-treatment, PT gives you gradual relief as you continue with your treatment.
2. The Recovery Process Is Quicker
The quickest or easiest route is not always the best. Therefore, it’s advisable to avoid going for heavy doses of painkillers anytime you suffer from pain, as these immediate pain-relief options can be detrimental to your health.
The best option is to go for physical therapy, where the therapist gives you a set of exercises specifically meant to help relieve pain and regain your health.
The recovery time is often shorter than that of a surgical operation. Generally, while it takes about six months to recover with PT, the total recovery time for a surgery patient is six to twelve months. And of course, the shorter the recovery time, the lesser the costs.
3. It’s Effective in Relieving Chronic Pain
If you’re suffering from chronic pain, physical therapy can help ease this and other hereditary aches. It’s time you stopped taking painkillers and instead addressed the root cause of your pain. Physical therapy does this best.
Upon identifying the cause, the treatment course your therapist will administer can reduce the pain significantly or eliminate it.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to go back to your pre-pain or pre-injury lifestyle after surgery. In fact, most patients have to take opioids post-surgery to manage the pain. PT is better at managing pain as an alternative to surgery as well as a post-surgery treatment.
4. Lower Risks
Contrary to what most people think, surgery isn’t the easiest and quickest way to get back to pre-pain or pre-injury days. Actually, after an injury, you may still suffer from the same problem later in life. Or you may take longer to recover.
Surgery also has many other risks, including:
- Allergic reactions
- Complications from anesthesia
- Stiffness and motion difficulties, especially in joints
- Blood clots
- Nerve damage
- Infections
Interestingly, there are no risks to physical therapy, and if any, they occur to very few people.
5. Lower Treatment Costs
Take, for example, repairing a torn meniscus. With surgery, it may cost you up to $5,000.
On the other hand, physiotherapy may only cost approximately $2,000. Other injuries such as joint replacement can even cost triple the amount with surgery than PT.
Undoubtedly, physical therapy is more cost-effective. It’s better to try it before considering surgery.
Contact Mid-County Physical Therapy Now
Now you more fully understand why physical therapy is better than surgery. Regardless of your age, type of injury, or illness, the benefits of physical therapy are numerous. Always consider it as the first choice of treatment in determining the best outcome.
Call Mid-County Physical Therapy when you’re ready to learn more about how physical therapy can help you!